Farm-gate.



w. D. BAXTER. FARM GATE.'

APPLICATLON''ILED JULY 18, 1912. 1 ,047,368, "1 4 y, n Patented Dec. 17,1912.

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of* K l D rs it -1 WITNESSES LH\ INI/ENTOR W. D. BAXTER.

FARM GATE. A

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1s, 1912.

1,047,368, Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. BAXTER, 0F EWING, NEBRASKA.

FARM-GATE.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. BAXTER, citizen of the United States,residing at Ewing, in the county of Holt and State of 5 Nebraska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Farm-Gates, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inthe construction of farm gates of that general character which embodynovel features of lconstruction whereby they can be readily opened orclosed by a person upon a horse or within a vehicle without thenecessity of dismounting from the horse or getting out of the vehicle,as the case may be.

The object of the invention is to provide a gate of this character which.is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, whichcomprises few and durable parts, and which can be readily operated fromeither side of the gat-e regardless of whether the gate be in an open ora closed position.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fullyappear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof beingpointed out in t-he appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of a farm gate constructed in accordance with theinvention, the gate being shown in an open position. Fig. 2 is anenlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view through the upper portionof the supporting frame or standard. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionalview on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the gate,the gate member being shown in an intermediate position and a portion ofthe supporting framework being broken away. Fig. 5 is a transversevertical sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The supporting framework comprises a pair of spaced vertical standards 1between which the gate 2 is mounted to swing both vertically andlongitudinally, the said gate being withdrawn between the standards inthe position shown by Fig. 1, when in an Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed July 18, 1912.

Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

Serial No. 710,195.

open position, and being swung outwardly so as to project beyond thestandards when in a closed position. The vertical standards 1 areprovided with the diagonal braces 3, the lower ends of the braces beingconnected to the lower ends of the respective standards by thehorizontal strips 4.

The gate 2 is carried by a swinging frame which is formed with a pair ofupright and substantially parallel levers 5 and 6, the lower ends of thesaid levers being pivotally mounted upon the stirrups or braces 5a and6a respectively, said stirrups serving to hold the lower ends of thestandards 1 and braces 3 in a properly spaced relation. As shown moreclearly by Fig. 5, it will be observed that the levers 5 and 6 are eachformed in duplicate, one of the members of each of the levers beingarranged on each side of the gate. The upper ends of the levers 5 and 6are connected by a link 7, while intermediate portions of the levers 5and 6 are connected upon opposite sides of the gate by the guide strips8. These guide strips extend longitudinally beyond the levers and aresecured to the outer faces of the levers so as to be interposed betweenthe levers and the standards 1 and braces 3 of the main frame. It willthus be obvious that the guide strips 8 serve to direct the levers 5 and6 in their swinging movement and cause them to operate freely betweenthe spaced standards 1 and the diagonal braces 3. A pair ofsubstantially parallel hangers 9 and 10 are pendent from the upper endsof the levers 5 and 6, the lower ends of the said levers being pivotallyconnected to the gate 2. In the present instance the hanger 10 ispivotally connected to an upright 2L of the gate, while the hanger 9 ispivotally connected to an upright 2b of the gate, the said pivotalconnection being brought about by means of a pivot pin 11 which isadapted to engage any selected one of the openings 12. This admits ofthe connection between the hanger 9 and the gate being adjusted as maybe required for causing the gate to hang in a horizontal position.

The upper end of the lever 5 is extended above the link 7 where itsextremity is connected by means of a rod 13 to an intermediate portionof the hanger 10, the said rod passing loosely through a slot 14 in thehorizont-al link 7. The two levers 5 and 6 in connection with the link 7constitute a swinging frame which serves to carry the gate 2.

Athrow of the gate.

I/Vhen this swinging frame is moved upwardly, as indicated by Fig. 4E,the gate 2 is lifted above the ground, and as soon as the swinging frameis moved a sufficient amount to pass the dead center, the weight ofthegate will cause the same to drop back upon the ground and complete theswinging movement of the frame. As the frame swings downwardly in eitherdirection, it will be observed that the rod 13 will serve to swing thehangers 9 and 10 away from a vertical position so as to increase thelongitudinal When the gate reaches an open position, as shown by Fig. 1,the rod 13 inclines the hangers 9 and 10 rearwardly so as to withdrawthe gate a maximum amount, while when the gate is swung v into a closedposition, it will be obvious that the vehicle.

the rod 13 will serve to swing the hangers 9 and 1() in the oppositedirection so as to materially increase the outward throw of the gate.

The swinging frame can be operated by hand, if desired, although it iscontemplated to make provision whereby the gate can be operated by arider or driver without the necessity of dismounting or getting out ofThe upper ends of the spaced standards 1 are connected by the spaced andtransverse bars 15, the ends of the bars projecting laterally uponopposite sides of the standards and having the operating levers 16pivotally mounted between the same. These cross bars 15 may be securedin position in any suitable manner as by means of the straps 17,intermediate port-ions of the straps being shown as doubled uponthemselves or looped so as to provide vertical guides within which theinner ends of the levers 16 operate. The projecting ends of the crossbars 15 may be reinforced by the truss rods 18, while the middlepo-rtions of the cross bars 15 are connected by a spring 19 to a crosshead 2O which is slidably mounted between the vupper ends of thestandards 1, the ends of the cross head being shown as slidably engagingthe vertical guides 21.

This cross head is connected by means of the links 22 to the inner endsof the levers 16, and also by means of the links 23 to plates 2e uponopposite sides of the lever 6. In order to cause the operating levers 16which project upon opposite sides of the gate to always move in unisonthe inner ends thereof may be suitably connected in any suitable manneras by means of the loose joint 25.

In order to swing the gate from an open position toa closed position, orfrom a closed position to an open position, as the case may be, it ismerely necessary for the operator to grasp the end of one of theoperating levers 16 and pull upwardly upon the links 22 so as to raisethe cross head 20'. This upward movement of the cross head pullsupwardly upon the links 23 and serves to swing the lever 6 upwardlytoward a lvertical position. The momentum of the gate and swinging framewill serve to carryy the lever 6 slightly beyond the vertical positionand the weight of the gate will then act by gravity t0 complete theswinging movement of the frame and completely shift the position of thegate; The spring 19 normally tends to move the cross head 20 upwardlyand tends to counteract the weight of the gate so as to render theoperation thereof comparatively easy. IVhen this spring 19 is stro-ng soas to almost counteract the weight of the gate, a very slight ull uponone of the members 16 will be sutilient to operate the gat-e, while witha weaker spring a stronger pull upon the lever 16 would be necessary tooperate the gate.

' As has been previously explained, the rod Y or plunger' 13 whichconnects the extended upper end of the lever 5' to the hanger -10 servesto very greatly increase the longitudinal throw of the gate so that avery slight vertical movement of the gate is suliicient to admit of thegate being easily swung from an open to a closed or from a closed to anopen position, as may be desired.

It will be Vobserved that each side of th gate 2 is provided with a pairof longitudinal guide strips 26 which project laterally therefrom, thesaid guide strips serving to engage the inner faces of the complementalmembers of the levers 5 and 6 so as to maintain ample clearance spacefor the longitudinal movements of the gate and cause the gate to alwaysswing freely through the levers 5 and 6 without any binding action.

It will be observed that I have provided a gate which can be easily andquickly thrown from an open to a closed or from a closed to an openposition, and that the gate is positive in its action and will not getcaught at an intermediate position so as to remain in a half open andhalf closed position.

I-Iaving thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A farm gate including spaced standards, braces for the standards, aswinging frame mounted to swing between the standards and formed inspaced sections, hangers pendent from the swinging frame, a gatesupported by the hangers and adapted to swing between the spacedsections of the swinging frame, longitudinal guide strips upon the gatefor holding the gate spaced from the swinging frame, longitudinal guidestrips upon the swinging frame to hold the latter spaced from thestandards and braces, and means for operating the swinging frame.

2. A farm gate including a main support formed with a pair of spaced andupright standards, a transverse bar connecting the top ends of saidstandards, a swinging frame mounted upon the support, hangers pendentlio from the swinging frame, a gate supported by the hangers and adaptedto swing between said standards, levers pivotally mounted upon thetransverse bar, links connecting said levers and swinging frame, aspring suspended from said transverse bar and having an operativeconnection with said links for normally tending to raise said links,whereby a portion of the weight of the gate is count-eracted when thesame is swung.

3. A farm gate including a main support, a pair of spaced andsubstantially parallel upright standards, a swinging frame mounted uponthe support, a gate operatively connected to said swinging frame andadapted to be swung between said standards, a transverse bar connectingthe top ends of said standards, operating levers pivoted to saidtransverse bar, vertical guide rods mounted on the inner face of saidstandards, a cross head rigidly secured to said links and slidablymounted on said guide rods, a spring connecting said transverse bar andsaid cross head and normally tending to raise said cross head to the topof the guides, whereby a portion of the weight of the gate iscounteracted when the same is swung.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two wit-nesses.

VILLIAM D. BAXTER.

Witnesses M. T. SANDERS,

J. L. ROLL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

